winter tires CHEVROLET COBALT 2007 1.G Owners Manual

Winter Driving
Here are some tips for winter driving:
Have your vehicle in good shape for winter.
You may want to put winter emergency
supplies in your vehicle.
Also seeTires on page 338.Include an ice scraper, a small brush or broom,
a supply of windshield washer uid, a rag,
some winter outer clothing, a small shovel,
a ashlight, a red cloth, and a couple of reective
warning triangles. And, if you will be driving
under severe conditions, include a small bag of
sand, a piece of old carpet, or a couple of burlap
bags to help provide traction. Be sure you
properly secure these items in your vehicle.
Driving on Snow or Ice
Most of the time, those places where the tires
meet the road probably have good traction.
However, if there is snow or ice between the tires
and the road, you can have a very slippery
situation. You will have a lot less traction, or grip,
and will need to be very careful.
254

Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement....... 337
Tires............................................................ 338
Winter Tires.............................................. 339
Tire Sidewall Labeling............................... 340
Tire Terminology and Denitions............... 344
Ination - Tire Pressure............................. 347
High-Speed Operation............................... 349
Tire Inspection and Rotation...................... 349
When It Is Time for New Tires.................. 351
Buying New Tires...................................... 351
Different Size Tires and Wheels................ 353
Uniform Tire Quality Grading..................... 354
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance............ 355
Wheel Replacement.................................. 355
Tire Chains............................................... 357
If a Tire Goes Flat.................................... 358
Changing a Flat Tire................................. 358
Removing the Spare Tire and Tools.......... 360
Removing the Flat Tire and Installing
the Spare Tire....................................... 364
Storing a Flat or Spare Tire and Tools...... 369
Compact Spare Tire.................................. 372Appearance Care........................................ 373
Cleaning the Inside of Your Vehicle.......... 373
Fabric/Carpet............................................. 374
Leather...................................................... 375
Instrument Panel, Vinyl, and Other
Plastic Surfaces..................................... 376
Care of Safety Belts.................................. 376
Weatherstrips............................................ 376
Washing Your Vehicle............................... 377
Cleaning Exterior Lamps/Lenses................ 377
Finish Care............................................... 377
Windshield and Wiper Blades.................... 378
Aluminum or Chrome-Plated
Wheels and Trim................................... 378
Tires......................................................... 379
Sheet Metal Damage................................. 380
Finish Damage.......................................... 380
Underbody Maintenance............................ 380
Chemical Paint Spotting............................ 381
Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials............ 381
Vehicle Identication.................................. 382
Vehicle Identication Number (VIN)........... 382
Service Parts Identication Label............... 382
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
278

Low-Prole Performance Tire
If your vehicle has 215/45R18 size tires, they
are classied as low-prole performance tires.
These tires are designed for very responsive
driving on wet or dry pavement. You may
also notice more road noise with low-prole
performance tires and that they tend to wear
faster.
Notice:If your vehicle has low-prole tires,
they are more susceptible to damage from road
hazards or curb impact than standard prole
tires. Tire and/or wheel assembly damage can
occur when coming into contact with road
hazards like, potholes, or sharp edged objects,
or when sliding into a curb. Your GM warranty
does not cover this type of damage. Keep tires
set to the correct ination pressure and, when
possible avoid contact with curbs, potholes,
and other road hazards.
Winter Tires
If your vehicle has 215/45R18 size tires, they are
classied as low-prole performance tires. These
tires are designed for very responsive driving on
wet or dry pavement. If you expect to drive on snow
or ice covered roads often, you may want to get
winter tires for your vehicle. All season tires provide
good overall performance on most surfaces but
they may not offer the traction you would like or the
same level of performance as winter tires on snow
or ice covered roads.
Winter tires, in general, are designed for increased
traction on snow and ice covered roads. With winter
tires, there may be decreased dry road traction,
increased road noise, and shorter tire tread life.
After switching to winter tires, be alert for changes
in vehicle handling and braking.
See your dealer for details regarding winter
tire availability and proper tire selection.
Also, seeBuying New Tires on page 351.
339

If you choose to use winter tires:
Use tires of the same brand and tread type
on all four wheel positions.
Use only radial ply tires of the same size,
load range, and speed rating as your
original equipment tires.
Winter tires with the same speed rating as your
original equipment tires may not be available for H,
V, W, Y and ZR speed rated tires. If you choose
winter tires with a lower speed rating, never
exceed the tire’s maximum speed capability.
Tire Sidewall Labeling
Useful information about a tire is molded into its
sidewall. The examples below show a typical
passenger vehicle tire and a compact spare
tire sidewall.(A) Tire Size:The tire size is a combination of
letters and numbers used to dene a particular
tire’s width, height, aspect ratio, construction type
and service description. See the “Tire Size”
illustration later in this section for more detail.
Passenger (P-Metric) Tire Example
340

Winter tires with the same speed rating as your
original equipment tires may not be available for H,
V, W, Y, and ZR speed rated tires. If you choose
winter tires with a lower speed rating, never
exceed the tire’s maximum speed capability.
{CAUTION:
Mixing tires could cause you to lose
control while driving. If you mix tires of
different sizes, brands, or types (radial
and bias-belted tires), the vehicle may not
handle properly, and you could have a
crash. Using tires of different sizes,
brands, or types may also cause damage
to your vehicle. Be sure to use the correct
size, brand, and type of tires on all
wheels. It is all right to drive with your
compact spare temporarily, as it was
developed for use on your vehicle.
SeeCompact Spare Tire on page 372.
{CAUTION:
If you use bias-ply tires on your vehicle,
the wheel rim anges could develop
cracks after many miles of driving. A tire
and/or wheel could fail suddenly, causing
a crash. Use only radial-ply tires with the
wheels on your vehicle.
If you must replace your vehicle’s tires with
those that do not have a TPC Spec number,
make sure they are the same size, load range,
speed rating, and construction type (radial and
bias-belted tires) as your vehicle’s original tires.
Your vehicle’s original equipment tires are listed
on the Tire and Loading Information label.
This label is attached to the vehicle’s center pillar
(B-pillar). SeeLoading Your Vehicle on page 259,
for more information about the Tire and Loading
Information Label and its location on your vehicle.
352

Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Quality grades can be found where applicable on
the tire sidewall between tread shoulder and
maximum section width. For example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature A
The following information relates to the system
developed by the United States National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which
grades tires by treadwear, traction, and
temperature performance. This applies only to
vehicles sold in the United States. The grades are
molded on the sidewalls of most passenger car
tires. The Uniform Tire Quality Grading (UTQG)
system does not apply to deep tread, winter-type
snow tires, space-saver, or temporary use spare
tires, tires with nominal rim diameters of
10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm), or to some
limited-production tires.
While the tires available on General Motors
passenger cars and light trucks may vary with
respect to these grades, they must also conform
to federal safety requirements and additional
General Motors Tire Performance Criteria (TPC)
standards.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based
on the wear rate of the tire when tested under
controlled conditions on a specied government
test course. For example, a tire graded 150 would
wear one and a half (1.5) times as well on the
government course as a tire graded 100. The
relative performance of tires depends upon the
actual conditions of their use, however, and may
depart signicantly from the norm due to variations
in driving habits, service practices, and differences
in road characteristics and climate.
Traction – AA, A, B, C
The traction grades, from highest to lowest,
are AA, A, B, and C. Those grades represent
the tire’s ability to stop on wet pavement as
measured under controlled conditions on specied
government test surfaces of asphalt and concrete.
A tire marked C may have poor traction
performance.
Warning:The traction grade assigned to this
tire is based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration, cornering,
hydroplaning, or peak traction characteristics.
354

Tires (cont.)
Compact Spare Tire................................. 372
Different Size........................................... 353
High-Speed Operation.............................. 349
If a Tire Goes Flat................................... 358
Ination - Tire Pressure............................ 347
Inspection and Rotation............................ 349
Installing the Spare Tire........................... 364
Removing the Flat Tire............................. 364
Removing the Spare Tire and Tools......... 360
Storing a Flat or Spare Tire and Tools..... 369
Tire Sidewall Labeling.............................. 340
Tire Terminology and Denitions............... 344
Uniform Tire Quality Grading.................... 354
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance........... 355
Wheel Replacement................................. 355
When It Is Time for New Tires................. 351
Winter Tires............................................. 339Towing
Recreational Vehicle................................. 265
Towing a Trailer..............................267, 268
Your Vehicle............................................. 264
Traction
Enhanced Traction System (ETS)............. 234
Enhanced Traction System (ETS)
Warning Light....................................... 173
Limited-Slip Differential............................. 235
Transaxle
Fluid, Manual........................................... 301
Transaxle Operation, Manual....................... 121
Transmission
Up-Shift Light........................................... 171
Trunk.......................................................... 102
Turn and Lane-Change Signals................... 146
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever.................... 145
448

Windshield
Washer.................................................... 148
Washer Fluid........................................... 317
Wiper Blade Replacement........................ 337
Wiper Blades, Cleaning............................ 378
Wiper Fuses............................................ 383
Wipers..................................................... 147
Winter Driving............................................. 254
Winter Tires................................................. 339
Wiper Activated Headlamps......................... 153X
XM Radio Messages................................... 220
XM™ Satellite Radio Antenna System......... 224
Y
Your Vehicle and the Environment............... 394
450